


Last Meeting

by milestogo2



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hyuroi Week, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-08 00:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7735465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milestogo2/pseuds/milestogo2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy and Hughes graduate. Roy fails to recognize one of the most important moments of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tumblr's #HyuroiWeek2016! I would highly encourage everyone to go check it out!

Roy is floating on top of the glorious high of graduation day, still fresh in his memory. _Graduated with honors, and second in the class. I’d say that’s good enough for a state alchemist._ He props his feet up on his luggage, watching the crowds of passengers dash around the train station. He's looking forward to seeing his aunt and teacher—and Riza, of course, who must be nearly finished with secondary school by now—but he still hates to think that he’ll never see the academy again. Sure, he’d ended up getting half of the class to hate him out of either jealousy or misplaced nationalism, but all in all he'd made more good memories than bad ones.

Hughes pokes his shoulder from the seat next to him. “Whatcha thinking about? How I beat your GPA by 0.01 points and how I got valedictorian and you didn't?”

“Will you _please_ stop bragging for _two goddamn seconds?_ ” Roy asks scathingly. “I admit it! You beat me! Congratulations! Now shut up!”

Hughes grins and checks his watch. “Well, my train’s leaving in a minute. I guess I’ll miss this place, eventually. Kind of bittersweet, don't you think?”

“Sure.” A whistle blows in the distance and the train starts rolling into the station, sending steam billowing around the high-ceilinged station. Roy’s good mood is wearing off with every passing minute as the reality of graduation finally sets in. Damn, he was really gonna miss Hughes.

Hughes jumps to his feet and picks up his suitcase. “I should get going. Good luck with your alchemy and stuff! I'll try to call you once I get to Central.”

“Yeah I guess I'll see you aroun…” Roy pauses as it sinks in that, realistically, he probably wouldn't. “I mean…. Good luck to you too!” 

Hughes starts off towards the train, calling over his shoulder, “And don't forget—you can't save anyone if you're dead, so drop all that self-sacrifice shit.” Roy furrows his eyebrows indignantly.

“Well… Okay, _fine,_ but it's not _shit!_ ” he yells back. Soon he loses sight of Hughes among the flocks of harried passengers. Roy sits back in his seat, looking up at the rafters high above his head. 

He thinks about the civil war in the East, and about the skirmishes with Aerugo, and about the invasions on the Cretan border, and he realizes that this could be the last time he ever sees Hughes. He could die somewhere miles and miles and miles away from Roy and Roy would probably never even find out. Ironically, Roy’s grand plans of sacrificing his own life to protect the country and keep its people safe would do absolutely nothing for Hughes—they’re in the same damn position. He’s helpless to do anything but hope.

The train blows its whistle again and the engine sputters to life. Roy snaps out of his daze, stands up, and jogs to the edge of the platform as the wheels start turning. He scans the windows for Hughes’s face as he walks alongside the train to keep up. “Hughes! Hey, hold on a sec!” Roy thinks he spots him in a seat close to the front; he raises his arm to wave frantically, now running to keep from losing the train. Hughes doesn't turn around, and Roy slows to a stop as the train picks up speed and clatters away down the track. He shields his eyes with his hand as he squints after the cars racing into the sunlight, and feels a terrible sense of foreboding grow in his chest.

\-----------------------------------------------

Roy’s premonition turns out to be, thankfully, wrong. They do, in fact, meet again in a world of heat and sand so different from their own that they scarcely recognize each other. Years pass, and they grow closer and closer until Roy fails to notice when their last meeting does finally roll around.

Roy sits in his pathetically hot office in East City, having a terrible day. His staff sits silently at their desks, all six of them puzzling over the Scar murder cases. Roy internally curses every higher-up on lunch break who thought it would be a great idea to slap the case onto Roy’s already-intimidating mountain of paperwork.

Hughes pokes his head through the door. “Yo, Roy. My train to Central leaves in a hour, but remind me to call you about the Elric brothers later, okay?” 

Roy briefly lifts his head from the case file. “Yeah sure, have a good trip,” he says distractedly, tapping his pen on the edge of his desk in frustration. 

Hughes smirks. “Good luck on the Scar case,” he says cheerfully, forcing Roy to send a rolled-up piece of paper flying in his direction. Hughes laughs and strolls away down the hall with his hands in his pockets. Roy turns his attention back to the paperwork, and doesn't give his friend’s departure a second thought.


End file.
